It is hard to imagine a man who was more loved by his community. The legendary St. Louis Cardinal Stan Musial owned a restaurant which I recall was dimly lit with red leather booths.
It was 1970. I was in 5th grade when my father took me to "Stan Musial and Biggies" one night to celebrate my good grades. Hard to imagine at this point they were actually that good, but apparently they warranted some recognition. We both wore neckties and jackets and the occasion seemed formal and special. This was the steak house long before the sanitized chain experiences we've come to know today.
I remember my father and I were sitting down, probably early in our meal when Stan strolled through the restaurant and saw that I was the rare child among his customers that night.
Dressed in jacket and tie himself, Stan 'The Man' came straight to the table and engaged us in what I remember to be a delightful conversation. He congratulated me for my would-be achievement. He excused himself saying he'd be right back. When he returned quickly, he had a personalized autographed photo in hand. I was thrilled.
That was one of first experiences meeting a celebrity. It was a time when we only knew mostly positive things about athletes, before the 24/7/365 news cycle and so much transparency.
A year later we would move to my eventual Kansas hometown. Unfortunately, because of a number of moves by my family over the ensuing years, the autographed photo was lost. But that's okay. The wonderful memory and the image of the remarkably kind Stan Musial is emblazoned in my mind. I can treasure that with great pleasure after all these many years.
RIP Stan Musial. It only took you a few minutes to make a positive difference in a young boy's life.
It was 1970. I was in 5th grade when my father took me to "Stan Musial and Biggies" one night to celebrate my good grades. Hard to imagine at this point they were actually that good, but apparently they warranted some recognition. We both wore neckties and jackets and the occasion seemed formal and special. This was the steak house long before the sanitized chain experiences we've come to know today.
I remember my father and I were sitting down, probably early in our meal when Stan strolled through the restaurant and saw that I was the rare child among his customers that night.
Dressed in jacket and tie himself, Stan 'The Man' came straight to the table and engaged us in what I remember to be a delightful conversation. He congratulated me for my would-be achievement. He excused himself saying he'd be right back. When he returned quickly, he had a personalized autographed photo in hand. I was thrilled.
That was one of first experiences meeting a celebrity. It was a time when we only knew mostly positive things about athletes, before the 24/7/365 news cycle and so much transparency.
A year later we would move to my eventual Kansas hometown. Unfortunately, because of a number of moves by my family over the ensuing years, the autographed photo was lost. But that's okay. The wonderful memory and the image of the remarkably kind Stan Musial is emblazoned in my mind. I can treasure that with great pleasure after all these many years.
RIP Stan Musial. It only took you a few minutes to make a positive difference in a young boy's life.
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